Well, let the speculation begin. What changes need to be made by Pierre Lacroix?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy at all about them getting dominated, but the fact remains that for most of the season I didn't think this team would get even this far. If you'd have told me that the Avs would go farther in the playoffs than Detroit, Dallas & Calgary, I'd have taken it.

The transitional year is over, it's time for Lacroix to do what he can to make this team a true contender again.

Well, for what its worth, the Avs finally managed to outshoot the Ducks 38-32 in this game. Lord knows, it was our best effort on the O side for the entire series after being outshot for the other three games. Too bad it was only worth one goal tonight. Sigh... Congrats Calijohn, your Ducks thrashed us good.

If you'd have told me that the Avs would go farther in the playoffs than Detroit, Dallas & Calgary, I'd have taken it.

True enough... but the way they got smacked by Anaheim leaves a bad taste... It was an abberation that this team got out of the first round. We're lucky Dallas is a terrible playoff team.

Looking at the minutes Brisebois got in this game, I've got a sinking feeling that we will see him on this team again next season. If that is the case, I don't think there is much hope for next season, mostly because it reflects poorly on management and coaching.

The salary cap will prevent any team from making drastic changes, but the Avs clearly need to add some size and speed to their lineup. I think the number one goal is to improve the defense. If Lacroix can move Brisebois, he would get an A+ for the offseason. Brisebois' removal would be an addition by subtraction.

True enough... but the way they got smacked by Anaheim leaves a bad taste... It was an abberation that this team got out of the first round. We're lucky Dallas is a terrible playoff team.

Looking at the minutes Brisebois got in this game, I've got a sinking feeling that we will see him on this team again next season. If that is the case, I don't think there is much hope for next season, mostly because it reflects poorly on management and coaching.

How can you say it was an abberation? They played damn good hockey and owned the Stars. We were the better team. In this series, we weren't. I don't consider them getting out of the first round by finishing off the #2 seed an abberation at all. They earned it.

Not one bounce. Not one damn bounce in 4 games. The Ducks were by far the better team, I would have just liked to see one bad break for Anaheim at any point.

I knew it was over when we were flying in the first period and couldn't get that 2-goal lead. Once Marchant scored to tie it the series was over.

Oh well. We're spoiled hockey fans in Colorado so I'm not disappointed. I'm actually optimistic that we've got a better goaltender situation than we did going into the past two seasons. You have to think Turgeon will retire, freeing up cap space. I think we'll add a couple of good players instead of losing Forsberg, Foote, Selanne, Kariya and replacing them with May, Turgeon, and Brisebois.

Now it's go Matt Carle and the Sharks and if they don't win the Cup I hope the Sabres or Hurricanes lift it for the first time.

Understanding the NHL Salary Cap
From Jamie Fitzpatrick,
Your Guide to Pro Ice Hockey.
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The NHL salary cap and the rest of the collective agreement in plain language.
Here's what you need to know about the NHL salary cap and collective bargaining agreement, a six-year deal signed in July, 2005. For comparison, changes to clauses that existed under the old deal are noted in italics.

Next Page: NHL Free Agents Explained

The Salary Cap

The salary cap is set at $39 million per team in 2005-06. There is also a floor, with each team required to spend at least $21.5 million on player salaries in 2005-06. The cap figure covers salaries and bonuses.

The salary cap is defined as the amount of real money a team pays out in a single season.

Clubs are not permitted to exceed the mamximum or drop below the minimum. But a team can exceed the cap to replace a player with a long-term injury (a minimum of 24 days and 10 games). When the injured player is reactivated, the team must get back under the cap.

The 2005-06 cap is based on projected NHL revenues of just under $1.8 billion for the season. In future years, the players are guaranteed 54 percent of "hockey-related" revenues, with the salary cap adjusted each year to meet that figure. The players' share increases if revenues rise. They get 55 percent when NHL revenues hit $2.2 billion, 56 percent at $2.4 billion, and 57 percent at $2.7 billion.

To ensure the correct revenue split, a percentage of player salaries could be placed in escrow. When total league revenues are determined at the end of the season, the escrow account will be divided among players and owners to ensure that the target has been met. Payrolls will be evaluated at several points during the season to determine whether the escrow account is needed.

Cheating on the Salary Cap

"Hockey-related" revenue is defined in the agreement, and team revenue reports are audited. A team found to be hiding revenue is fined $1 million plus the amount misreported for the first offense, and $5 million plus the double the amount misreported for further offenses.

Side deals are not allowed. Teams cannot circumvent the salary cap by paying players through other means - such as gifts, reimbursements on expenses, personal deals, money redirected through related corporate entities, seperate contracts for marketing and promotion, etc.

Individual Salary Restrictions

Performance bonuses can be earned by the following players only:
- players on entry-level contracts
- veteran players (400 or more games) signing one-year contracts. after returning from long-term injuries (100 or more days on injured reserve in their most recent year).
- players who sign a one-year contract after the age of 35.

No player can earn more than 20 percent of the team salary cap. In 2005-06, that means a maximum individual salary of about $7.4-$7.8 million.

Contracts can be bought out for two-thirds of the remaining value for players over the age of 26, and one-third of the remaining value for players under 26. Players who are bought out cannot return to the old team for at least one year.

When a player aged 35 or older signs a multi-year contract, his average salary is counted against the team's salary cap during every year of the contract, even if the player retires before the contract is up.
The minimum player salary rises from to $450,000, and will continue to rise until reaching $525,000 in 2011-12.The previous minimum salary was $180,000.

"Entry-Level" Salary Restrictions

Players between the ages of 18 and 21 must sign "entry-level" contracts for their first three NHL seasons. Those aged 22-23 are entry-level players for two years, those aged 24 for a single year.

An entry-level player can earn a maximum of $850,000 per year. The limit rises throughout the agreement, to $925,000 in 2011. Maximum entry-level salary in 2004 was $1.295 million.

Signing bonuses are capped at 10 percent of the player's salary. Under the old deal, signing bonuses for entry-level players were capped at 50 percent of base salary.

Performance bonuses can be earned at two levels. The first level covers individual benchmarks such as goals scored, goaltender wins, and so on. The maximum a player can earn at this level is believed to be around $850,000 per year. The second level is for much rarer achievements, like winning a major NHL award or ranking among the NHL's top players in a statistical catregory. The maximum a player can earn at this level is estimated at $2 million per year. Performance bonuses under the old agreement were subject to few limits.

With some exceptions, performance bonuses are paid by the league and do not count against a team's salary cap. But they do count in calculating the league-wide share of player revenue.
One-Time Only Provisions in the Summer of 2005

All player contracts preceding the new agreement were rolled back by 24 percent.

From July 23-29, 2005, a contract buyout did not count against next season's salary cap. All buyouts in future years count against the cap.